Jake Warr Year 1 Blog

Animation and VFX student at NUA. Year 1 Progress Blog

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BA1a Week 4 Animation Task

I have uploaded this in the wrong order, This should have been uploaded before the photoshop tasks. 

This is the animation made using After Effects for the fourth week of the BA1a tasks.  For this task we were given a less structured objective, Instead of following the set tutorials, we had to make an animation that followed a theme. the theme was ‘Halloween’.

I am happy with my animation. Although in hindsight I feel that I could have implemented more of the animation principles, I still believe that it is visually pleasing. If I were to improve on it, I would spend more time learning how to properly organize the aftereffects layer stack, as by the end of the animation, there were too many layers in one composite to organize making it difficult to work on. 

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 6)

This is the final of six images for the photoshop compositing task. This is the image I plan on using as my final piece. This is the one I am most happy with. I am pleased with the balance, contrast and lighting of this scene. In my opinion the image has a good amount of detail without appearing too noisy. I am very pleased about with how the robots fit into the scene, but I am also very happy with some of the invisible compositing, like the Ivy, satellites and cctv cameras. My only problem is that some of the text stands out a bit too much and I think that this image is the one that looses the most from being cropped. 

As this is my final piece, I also included just the added elements to demonstrate all the changes I made. 

As shown, the original image is much taller, I did a lot more compositing for it than is shown in the added elements image but a lot of it is lost as a result of having to crop it to 16:9

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 5)

This is the fifth of six images for the photoshop compositing task. Although it is the firth image in the sequence, It is the first one I worked on so I consider it to be a little more experimental than the others. I wanted to try out the graffiti in this one first so I could perfect my method for the final piece. It was also the first one I attempted to add one of the characters to, again to try and work out how to make it look convincing in advance.  

again the original image was taller, but in this case, I dont think you lose anything too important by cropping it. 

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 4)

This is the forth of six images for the photoshop compositing task. It is probably one of the ones that I am least happy with. I’m not sure why, I think it is something to do with the scale or the lighting on the truck not being quite right. As it is not my final piece, I prioritised working on the image I knew was my final piece. If I was to continue working on the comp, I would fix the lighting,  and try to match the render to the image more. It stands out too much from the background elements.  

The original image was a little taller but the cropping didn't effect the composition too greatly. I like the image but I personally think it is difficult to balance out the scenes composition as the right hand side is relatively plain compered to the left side. 

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 3)

This is the third of six images for the photoshop compositing task. I liked the original photo however it was more difficult that I was expecting to add something that fit the scene to this scene. I did not have anything particular in mind when I took the shot, but I am happy with the outcome as I know it isn't the final image, it works well enough to match the flow of the story. 

Much some of the other images, It was originally a portrait photo, but had to be cropped to 16:9. Along side the robot that I added, the image needed a little more clean up than the others. As a side effect of my developing of the film, it game out darker and grainier than I expected. I had to clean up the grain a little, along with that, I also needed to made the pillar in the foreground a lot darker. it was way too distracting for the composition when it was much brighter than the rest of the image. 

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 2)

This is the second of six images for the photoshop compositing task, as you can see, the original photo was much taller than the final piece, this was because when I took the photo, I was unaware that the final piece needed to be 1920x1080 (this will be a reoccurring problem with my images). The comp is also taller but for the hand in I needed to crop it. For this image I wanted to highlight the models I made for this piece. As they are 3D models it was simple but time consuming to get them to fit the perspective, it also allows the lighting to match. For this piece it was important to the grain to match, otherwise they would stand out. I am happy with this piece, It is one of my favourites but I still decided to not make it my final piece. 

For the original photo, I wanted to fit something in between the two machines. As it was with a slow film speed, it meant I had to be extra careful with where I was focusing the lens as the aperture was around 2.4. 

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BA1a - Photoshop (Image 1)

This is the first of six images for the photoshop compositing task. It is clear to see the composited elements I added. As this is not my final image, I only worked on it until I was happy with it, not to the stage where I would consider it finished. Personally I feel that the scene does not have the balance that I would like, the right side feels heavier than the left. If I was to continue to work on this, I would try and balance this out. I also think the contrast on the buildings is not quite perfect. 

For the initial photograph, I knew I wanted to composite something behind the building so I framed it with enough room to fit something there, I also set the focus to be in the background so that the added elements would be in focus. 

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For this video, I will only been examining from 0:30 to1:02

Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 10: The Incredibles 

Animation Principles in this clip

Squash and Stretch: When Thunder Head gets pulled away by the missile, before he leaves the ground completely he is stretched vertically.

 Anticipation: Before Stratogale gets pulled into the jet engine, you can see her cape starting to stretch towards the engine before she gets fully pulled into it.

Staging: In each of these different stories, the cape is always towards the centre of the frame. 

Follow through and overlapping action: Just as Stratogale gets pulled into the engine, her legs and torso are dragged first with her arms delayed and following through with the motion. 

Exaggeration: Each of these superheroes die in very implausible events to enforce the idea that capes are impractical.

 Appeal: All of these heroes are very identifiable as superheroes because of their body shape and silhouette. This allows each story to be told in under 5 seconds and still be clear. 

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For this video, I will only been examining from 1:14 to1:40

Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 9: Fantastic Mr. Fox

Animation Principles in this clip:

Anticipation: Before throwing the pine cone forward, he holds it backwards before throwing it. 

Straight ahead and pose to pose: Due to this film being entirely stop motion, it is very likely that they used pose to pose animation to create this scene. 

Slow in and Slow out: When moving his arm backwards before pitching, he starts slow, accelerates and then slows down. 

Staging: While the main action is happening, the camera is at a distance and using a wide lens. This makes the game even more chaotic than it was already described to be. 

Follow through and overlapping action: After hitting the pine cone, he continues to move the bat towards his shoulder because of the momentum. 

Exaggeration: During the wide shot, no two characters are doing the same thing, this only adds to the chaos.

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For this video, I will only been examining from 0:08 to1:02 

Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 8: Monsters Inc

Animation Principles in this clip

Squash and Stretch: When falling through the French door, Mike’s body squashes and stretches when he falls on the floor.

Anticipation: Before jumping through the French door, Mike crouches down to indicate that he is about to jump. 

Follow through and overlapping action: Sully is covered in fur so whenever he stops moving, the fur often follows through with the movement due to the momentum. 

Secondary Action: When lifting Mike up after falling, Sully tenses his brow, enforcing that he is putting effort into lifting him up.

Appeal: Sully is large and fluffy and mike is small and round, both of these make the two main characters feel unthreatening and likable. 

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 7: Robocop

although Robocop is not an animated movie, ED-209 created through stop motion animation and follows the same principles of animation as other fully animated films. 

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Anticipation: Before walking forward, ED 209 raises its torso up and expands its arms, indicating that is is about to move.

Staging: The first shot of ED 209 has im barely fitting through a door, this gives the viewer some way to ground his size within the world of the film.

Follow through and overlapping action: When coming to a stop, ED 209 has so much momentum that he rocks forward after his legs stop moving. 

Exaggeration: With each step, ED 209 makes a sharp hip movement, exaggerating the weight of each leg and the force it takes to move one.

Appeal: ED 209 is designer to be threatening, this is done through being made out of lots of complex sharp shapes and having no clear facial features, as well as a silhouette that is clearly not human.  

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 6: Tom and Jerry

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Squash and Stretch: During transformation, Jerry quickly changes size, squashing and stretching each time. 

Anticipation: When Jerry is just about to drink the poisoned milk, he smells it first, indicating that he is suspicious of it.

Follow through and Overlapping Action: Both Tom and Jerry’s tails follow through each step they take. 

Exaggeration: To indicate his strength, Jerry is able to walk through doors and punch through the safe that Tom is hiding in. 

Appeal: Both Tom and Jerry are made from soft shapes and have large eyes, leading them to be likable and look friendly. 

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 5: Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Squash and stretch: When being launched, and landing, the dog both squashes and stretches.

Anticipation: just before being launched from the catapult, the dog compresses itself into the arm to prepare for the jump. 

Follow through and overlapping action:  when moving quickly, Sinbad’s hair follows through with the motion. 

Slow in and Slow out: When Sinbad is just about to jump onto the enemy ship, he is waving his arm in the air. this motion, starts slow, accelerates, then slows down. 

Exaggeration: Many of Sinbad’s fighting moves are very exaggerated, such as spinning on his sword while kicking enemies.  

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 4: Wallace and Gromit, the Wrong Trousers

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Squash and stretch: When Feathers McGraw lands in the bottle, his head compresses into it for a frame before springing back. 

Follow through and overlapping action: When Gromit makes a fast action, his ears continue the motion because of the momentum from his head. 

Secondary Action: When Gromit’s arm is rapidly placing new tracks, you can see his ears quickly looking forward at the obstacles coming towards him, then back down at the track, indicating the speed and risk of the current position he is in. 

Timing: This entire scene takes place on two fast moving trains, this causes the characters actions to need to be quicker in order to keep up.

Appeal: Although he is silent, Gromit has a very expressionate face, causing him to be more relatable and therefore likable. 

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 3: Batman, The animated Series

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Squash and stretch: When Batman first jumps down in front of the villains, His body compresses into the ground, indicating that he landed with some force.

Anticipation: When the Batmobile is about to drive off, the thruster turns on and the wheel start to spin, implying that it is about to accelerate forwards. 

Staging: When Batman lands in front of the villains, the camera is behind the two bad guys and has batman in the centre of the shot. This frames the shot around Batman and makes him the focal point of the shot. 

Follow through and overlapping action: For a lot of the shots with Batman moving, his cape follows behind him and continues to move from the momentum after he stops moving. 

Exaggeration:  The final shot has batman standing on the edge of a building in shadows, and being illuminated by a bolt of lightning. This Exaggerates the characters silhouette. 

Appeal: All of the characters in the shot are masked by shadow, giving the viewer a sense of mystery. 

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 2: Wolverine and the X-Men

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Anticipation: Before shooting his laser, cyclops twists his torso backwards to add more force into the shot. 

Staging: When the camera is facing the children, Wolverine lands in between the camera and the children, making him break frame and appear larger.

Follow Through and Overlapping action: A lot of the characters are either in capes or long coats which tend to maintain the motion after the character has stopped moving.

Arcs: A majority of the punches and kicks in this intro follow a smooth, arcing path. 

Secondary Action: When extending his claws, Wolverine clenches his jaw, indicating that he his tensing his muscles.

Timing: This whole scene plays out very fast, and most of the characters movements are quick. creating a sense of speed, danger and power. 

Solid Drawing: as the children are running towards the camera, they are getting larger, creating a sense of 3D space. 

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Unit 1, Research Task 1, Found Clip 1: Gravity Falls

The Animation Principles in this clip:

Squash and stretch: When Mabel shoots upwards, her body is stretch before moving up

Anticipation: before showing off her new grappling hook, she does a spin before holding it up 

Follow through and overlapping action: after her spin, Mable’s her continues the motion after she stops moving

Slow in and Slow out: when shooting upwards, Mable starts slowly and builds pace. This is also seen in Dipper’s arm movement when adjusting his hat.

Exaggeration: when presenting her grappling hook, the camera is on a top down shot and wide angle to make it appear even larger in the scene.